Watches of Distinction: A 2012 Timepiece Guide

A watch needs to do more for a man than tell him the time. It was true in 1945, when Rolex made history with the Datejust, the first wristwatch to display the date in a window on the dial, and it's true in 2012, with this new Datejust II setting its owner apart with a smooth polished-steel bezel and thick Roman numerals circling a sapphire-colored face. (It still shows the date, too.) The more is what makes the Datejust II remarkable. The more is what makes you want it. And since you're not paying for any more here than you probably need — see: people who throw down big for watch functions that they'll never use — there's no risk of you looking at your watch one day and thinking, lamenting, that it's just too much. The Datejust II offers the right amount of more, and it also happens to keep time beautifully.

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And here are some other options you can buy right now, and keep forever...